Betrayal of Judas, MS. Arm. d. 13 (fol. 12r.), by Mesrop of Khizan (Armenian illuminator, active 1605-1651). Bodleian Libraries.
Mesrop of Khizan (active 1605-1651) was a renowned Armenian manuscript illuminator, scribe, theologian, teacher, and book restorer. Born near Lake Van in the Ottoman Empire, he was relocated with his family to Isfahan, Persia, after Abbas I of Persia forcibly resettled many Armenians in 1604. Trained by his father, a painter, Mesrop spent over 40 years creating beautifully illuminated manuscripts, particularly Bibles and Gospels.
His notable works include the Gospel of 1608 and the Gospel of 1609, the latter preserved at the Bodleian Library and containing a moving account of the suffering of Armenians under Shah Abbas. Art historians praise his works for their energetic settings and symbolic imagery, such as The Baptism of Christ, which depicts Christ standing on a dragon, and Saint John the Evangelist (1615), now housed at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Around 30 of his illuminated manuscripts survive today and are held in major museums and libraries worldwide.
